International Heritage Railway Passenger Numbers

Can anyone help please - what are the passenger numbers for the busiest heritage/tourist railways in the world? A few years ago, I seem to remember reading the business was an American line but can't remember which - it was possibly the Durango Narrow Gauge line but a web search by a colleague has revealed their figure is between 165,000 (2005) and 200,000 (pre-9/11 but growing again). Then I can definitely recall it was the puffing Billy line in Victoria, Melbourne, which runs 365 days a year. However, another colleague has just returned from visiting them whilst down under and their most recent figure was under the 300,000 mark (I think about 270,000).

Third used to be the NYMR but our has grown since then and the General Manager is quite keen to claim title of the "World's Most Visited Heritage Railway"! Does anyone have figures for other international lines? I know classification can be difficult - is a line run for tourist with mainly modern locos but some steam like the line on the German island of Borkum the same as the UK heritage railways? I would argue not but I could see alternative arguments!

If anyone has solid information, particularly if I was wrong on which was the top US line, it would be most helpful.

Posted here and in International to extend reach!

Thanks in advance.

Steven

 

Steve

I think you are referring to The White Pass and Yukon Railway in Alaska. I do not know what the latest figures are, but a feature in the May 2006 issue of Trains magazine about "North America's busiest tourist railroad" states that annual ridership rose from 37,000 in 1988 (its first year as a tourist operator) to 318,893 in 2001 and 430,037 in 2005. Its secret is, of course, that despite its remoteness - it is a long way from anywhere - its base at Skagway has become a very popular port of call for the huge cruise ships that ply the spectacular north western coastline of North America. A short trip on part of this historic narrow guage gold rush line is often part of the package for cruise passengers when they dock in Skagway.

Although it has a steam presence the line is principally a diesel operator and it reckons that some 85% of its custom comes from cruise ships.

I think that the Moors has some way to go to match these figures. But if Whitby were to become a major destination for these seagoing hotel tower blocks...........................?

Peter James

 

Thanks Peter - I must admit, I thought that it was the Yukon and white Pass but when I looked it up on the web, struggled to find a figure. The comparatively recent start and remote location made me start to doubt it I was on the right line.

Last year, the Moors carried 350,000 passengers and it is not taht long since our figure was 278,000, so not an impossible gap - but I guess we will have to settle for world's busiest standard gauge line - but I thibnk we have been that for a few years!!

On the other thread, Hunslet Finest has given figures for a couple of the German Narrow (but not that narrow!) gauge systems that beat Yukon as well, so Standard Gauge looks the safest bet at the moment!

Steven

 

I have posted this on the similar thread in International, but it also refers to here.

This is were we get into "classification"! The Harz network, of which the Brocken is one of three lines, is, as I understand (it is still on my "to do" list) owned by a consortium of local authorities and is the rail network of the area - history meant it was still steam operated at reunification and has remained so. The Brocken is slightly different being a former "secret" military line until after reunification and, as you say, for tourist use now. However, this doesn't really make it a "heritage railway" in the normal UK sense - it is of similar status to lines like the Borkum Railway (which is not all steam but probably mainly for visiotrs to the island0 or even the Isle of Man Steam Railway.

You could even say the same about the White Pass and Yukon, which is still operated by its commerical owner but now has a season like heritage lines and runs tourist tyrains, largely with diesels.

As far as I can work out, neither any part of the Harz or the Yukon use volunteers as anything other than "friends". Puffing Billy does (albeit commercially owned) and we try to as much as we can on the NYMR! It really is comparing apples and oranges and perhaps best left alone! I do recall a good few years ago when Railway World looked into a claim by one line that it ran more trains than anyone else, the eventually winner of that prize was most unexpected - the Ravenglass and Eskdale I think - becuase in that case, a shorter line can run more trains than a longer one!

Steven